Shadow

Chapter 17 - Desolation

Bracelets, the size of a child's wrist, with small silver hanging crystals that resembled the shape of a skull, hung on doorknobs around the suite. Dumaka blew gently on the bracelets as if blowing into a cup filled with a hot beverage, and he either chanted or prayed in his own dialect before carefully placing the bracelets on the respected sides of the room. The handle on the suite's front door; on the arm of the sofa in the main room; he also hung one on the curtains, blocking out any outside intrusion.

He knows his stuff, Jimmy thought as he observed the man who was clearly not a fake or a charlatan. Dumaka had told them earlier that the crystals that hung off the bracelets would protect this room from any outside intrusion, namely the Shadow.

Jimmy sat with Abbie at the table in the middle of the room while Dumaka did his business. Abbie had stayed mute for over half an hour, just gazing down at herself, but struggling to keep her eyes open. He rolled up the sleeves of the new white shirt he had put on earlier on top of his vest, looked at his watch and saw that it was over one in the morning.

He folded his arms across his chest and even though he wore a jacket, he felt cold. He was tired and longed for a long, deep sleep and when he woke up, he would be back in his own bed in Bakersfield, next to Rachel. But then two things hit him hard: one, what if he woke up and he was still here in Vegas and the evil that dwelled on the outskirts of the desert was still stalking them, and two, what if he found himself back in Bakersfield, but Rachel was no longer there with him?

He didn't know which was worse.

Jimmy pushed those thoughts to one side and focused on Abbie; the one person, other than Rachel, who understood him and never left his side. She was still a teenager, but she'd already seen what the world had to offer, and the pain she went through almost equaled his own.

He took a look over his shoulder and the king-size bed caught his eye. The sleeping arrangements. Amidst all that was going on around them, sleep was the last thing Jimmy was thinking of, but he could tell just by looking at Abbie that she was worn out after today's escapades. Her eyelids struggled to stay open, her head was drooping, and her face remained motionless.

'Abbie?' Jimmy called.

Her eyes flashed open in a flash as if she had woken up from a terrifying nightmare. 'Mmm?'

'You should go to bed.'

Abbie looked around her and took a long sigh. 'Where do I sleep?'

'Back there,' he replied, pointing over his shoulder.

She looked at the bed, smiled half-heartedly and then rested her chin on the palm of her hand. 'You wanna sleep with me?' she asked.

'What? No, I—'

'All done for now, my friends,' Dumaka said, stepping up behind them. 'I believe my crystals will give you much-needed protection for the night. Hopefully, it will last.'

Jimmy got up and faced him. 'You sure this will work?'

Dumaka studied him as if he were working out what thoughts were running through his head. 'What faith do you follow?'

'Faith?'

'Yes.'

Jimmy rummaged through his jacket pockets as if the answer was written in there. 'I'm not a religious man. I don't really believe in anything.'

Dumaka's face soured. 'That is a shame.'

'Why is that important?'

'Because it is faith that will give you the power to succeed in your journey. I believe it was Helen Keller that said it best. "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."'